It’s been a lot of toil and struggle getting up to Namche, which is really just the start of the trekking adventure. All of the largest and the smallest touring groups make a stop through Namche to get supplies and porter crews rightly organized, as well as stopping for some baked apple pie from one of the many enticing German bakeries. This is the central trading and meeting point for all hikers and villagers from all of the region, and the variety and the fantastic though fogged over view are worth stopping for. Namche is still a growing village, as you hear rock chippers from across the amphitheater valley who are setting together stones in perfect plane and order to make the shape of a new lodge or a coffee shop or even a gear rental. Coming from the United States our group may not have been the lengthiest travelers to converge on the village of Namche. The renown of the trading bazaar stretches across the border of China into the region known as Tibet, where pastoral merchants pack in clothing (knock off) and jewelry from their home region to trade for essentials or even cash. Their transit from home takes them over a week over bitter cold Himalayan passes and hardens their haggling senses to resist the low price bids from greedy American tourists.

I couldn’t resist the sense that I should haggle over their prices, but realizing how hard it was for them to simply drag themselves and their pack animals to this meeting point made my conscience wince for a moment. I can at least take comfort to my worries because at least their load of wares will be lighter on their return trip. Namche is an odd outpost with a reach to the outside world. Amid the most far removed villages from the affairs of the high intensity and interconnected planet this one spot still offers internet access, photo processing, delicious baked goods, and currency exchange. Wandering off a few hundred meters in any direction, especially the way off the steep cliff, you soon find yourself outside of this bubble an back in fresh air and ignorance the the ways of the world. Namche is the last great Army barracks for now, and you get the sense that whatever lies higher on the trails will do fine in defending itself.